Female skeleton contacts for lamp sockets



y 1967 c. R. D. KINDERSLEY ETAL 3,333,234

FEMALE SKELETON CONTACTS FOR LAMP SOCKETS Filed March 10, 1964 United States Patent O 3,333,234 FEMALE SKELETON CONTACTS FOR LAMP SOCKETS Charles Richard Dirom Kindersley, deceased, late of Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, by The Royal Trust Company, administrator, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Joseph Frederick Dufiield, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, assignors to Smith & Stone Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a company of Ontario Filed Mar. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 350,913 Claims priority, application Canada, Mar. 11, 1963, 870,575 Claims. (Cl. 339-199) This invention relates to a female contact of the skeleton type having the form of one or more segments of a hollow cylinder, each segment having a thread formation thereon adapted to cooperate with and receive a mating male contact, such as used in a lamp.

Skeleton contacts have been used, in connecting devices of the screw-plug type, but the prior known devices have generally been prodigious in their use, have included too large a number of components and/ or have been relatively difficult to assemble in a socket.

It is an object of this invention to provide a one-piece female contact for use with electric lamp sockets and a simple method of assembly in lamp or similar female sockets. Accordingly, the invention provides a female contact for use with electric lamp sockets comprising: at least one L-shaped member having two mutually perpendicular limbs, the first limb of which forms a base, and the second limb of which forms a segment of a hollow cylinder Whose axis of generation passes through the plane of the said first limb, said second limb having a thread engaging means on the interior cylindrical surface thereof and adapted to cooperate with and receive a mating male Contact member having corresponding thread engaging means, and having an outwardly directed flange integrally attached to at least one free marginal edge thereof and extending transverse to said base, said flange being adapted to cooperate with and be received into a groove in the said lamp socket to prevent relative rotation between said contact and the said lamp socket.

A preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the skeleton contact;

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a lamp socket showing the skeleton contact in situ; and

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the lamp socket in FIG. 2, shown partly in section.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a female contact generally indicated at 1, having two side members 2 integrally connected together by a common base 4. Each of the side members includes a curved portion which is a segment of a hollow cylinder. The interior curved surface of each side member has a thread formation 3 formed thereon, the thread formation being adapted to receive an electric lamp with a complementary screw formation thereon. Each side member 3 includes two flanges 5 transversely disposed in relation to the curved surface of the side member, the flanges being attached to longitudinal free marginal edge of the side member. The flanges cooperate with slots 5a in a lamp socket as will hereinafter be described. Each of the side members 3 includes an inwardly directed lance 7, which is integrally attached to the side members, the point of the lance 7 being directed towards the base 4. The lances 7 are provided to retain the contact in position after assembly as will be hereinafter described. Each of the side members further includes an outward facing bell-shaped lip 6. These lips cooperate with detent means in the socket to be hereinafter described. The female contact may be formed from brass or other suitable contact material and may be made by pressing, stamping, or otherwise formed.

FIG. 3 shows a socket 8 which includes a cylindrical bore 9. The bore 9 is closed at the bottom by a partition 10 integrally formed with the body of the socket. The partition 10 includes two arcuate slots 11 each adapted to receive one side contact member. The arcuate slots extend longitudinally between the upper and lower faces of partition 10. The socket 8 further includes detent means 12 consisting of an annular recess adapted to receive the lips 6.

The contact is introduced into the bore of the socket from the back or, lower face of the partition 10 and passed through slots 11. Once the lips 6 have been received by detent means 12, the lances 7 spring inwardly over the upper surface of the partition 10 thereby preventing the contact from moving rearwards or downwards when an electric lamp is introduced into the socket. Thus, the lances 7 and the lips 6 prevent the contact from moving after assembly.

Since one side member 2 is sufiicient to provide electrical connection between the electric lamp and the female contact, it is possible to include, therefore, only one side member, and, on the diametrically opposite side of the bore 9, to include associated thread engaging means, integrally formed in the bore of the socket body. In this case, the base 4 of the associated single side member 2 may be extended beyond the center line of the socket in order to provide suflicient material for making electrical connections thereto. In the interests of clarity the method of making electrical connection to the contact, or to the contact of opposite polarity are not described since this is effected conventionally and forms no part of the present invention. The contact of opposite polarity has been omitted from the drawings for the same reason. Only one flange 5 need be included on a single side member 2, and when two side members 2 are used it is possible that a single flange 5, provided on one side member only, will serve to prevent rotation of the entire double-sided contact. Only as many grooves 6 need be included in the body of the socket as there are flanges 5 on the contact. It is, of course possible to have more than tWo side members 2 and the socket 8 will then have as many arcuate slots 11 is there are side members.

It will be appreciated that the female contact comprises a single stamping or pressing and the contact is introduced into the socket in a single operation without the use of any special tools. Once the contact has been introduced into the socket, it is held fast by the lances 7 and will not normally be required to be removed thereafter. However, its removal would only require the deforming outwardly of the two lances.

The thread engaging means may be constituted by a complete thread formation, or by a single inwardly directed formed dimple adapted to engage a fully-formed thread on the complementary male connector.

It is apparent that within the scope of the invention, modifications and different arrangements may be made other than herein disclosed and the present invention is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending variations thereof with the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A female contact for use with an electric lamp or other female socket having a contact receiving bore with a contact rotation inhibiting groove therein, said contact comprising at least one L-shaped member having two substantially mutually perpendicular limbs, the first limb of which forms a base, and the second limb of which forms a side member having the form of a segment of a hollow cylinder whose axis of generation passes through the plane of said first limb, the said second limb having thread engaging means on the interior cylindrical surface thereof, adapted to cooperate with and receive an externally threaded mating male contact member, and having an outwardly directed flange integrally attached to at least one free marginal edge thereof, and extending transverse to said base, said flange being adapted to cooperate with and to be received into a groove in said lamp socket to prevent relative rotation between said contact and said socket, a lance integrally attached to the interior cylindrical surface of said second limb, said lance having a point directed toward said base, said lance being adapted to cooperate with the said socket, thereby to retain said contact within the said socket after assembly.

2. The contact of claim 1 including an outward projecting lip on the free marginal end of said side, remote from said first base, said lip cooperating with an associated detent means on said socket thereby serving to retain the said contact within said socket.

3; A female contact for use with an electric lamp or other female socket having a contact receiving bore with a contact rotation inhibiting groove therein, said contact comprising at least one L-shaped member having two substantially mutually perpendicluar limbs, the first limb of which forms a base, and the second limb of which forms a side member having the form of a segment of a hollow cylinder whose axis of generation passes through the plane of said first limb, the said second limb having thread engaging means on the interior cylindrical surface thereof, adapted to cooperate with and receive an externally threaded mating male contact member, a lance integrally attached to the interior cylindrical surface of said second limb, said lance having a point directed toward said base, said lance being adapted to cooperate with the said socket, thereby to retain said contact within the said socket after assembly.

4. A female contact for use with an electric lamp or other female socket having a contact receiving bore with a contact rotation inhibiting groove therein, said contact comprising: a pair of diametrically opposed L-shaped members each having two mutually perpendicular limbs, the first limbs of which cooperate to constitute a common base member, and the second limbs of which form side members, each side member having the form of a segment of a hollow cylinder whose axis of generation passes through said base member, each of said side members having (i) a thread engaging means on the interior cylindrical surface thereof adapted to cooperate with and receive a mating male contact member,

(ii) at least one outwardly directed flange integrally attached to a free marginal edge thereof exending transverse to said base and adapted to cooperate with on said socket, the said lance and the said lip each being adapted to cooperate with the said socket to retain the said contact within said socket after assembly. 5. The contact of claim 4 wherein said first limbs are integrally joined together.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1915 Hart 339-199 1,389,343 8/1921 Cuthbert et al. 339-199 2,653,304 9/1953 Wadsworth 339-217 2,701,869 2/1955 Hobson 339-193 3,025,491 3/1962 Hopkins 33922l X 3,050,705 7 8/1962 Benson 339221 X 3,072,878 1/1963 Woodward et al 339176 3,093,887 6/1963 Prestige et al 339221 X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. ALFRED S. TRASK, EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiners. 

4. A FEMALE CONTACT FOR USE WITH AN ELECTRIC LAMP OR OTHER FEMALE SOCKET HAVING A CONTACT RECEIVING BORE WITH A CONTACT ROTATION INHIBITING GROOVE THEREIN, SAID CONTACT COMPRISING: A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED L-SHAPED MEMBERS EACH HAVING TWO MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR LIMBS, THE FIRST LIMBS OF WHICH COOPERATE TO CONSTITUTE A COMMON BASE MEMBER, AND THE SECOND LIMBS OF WHICH FORM SIDE MEMBERS, EACH SIDE MEMBER HAVING THE FORM OF A SEGMENT OF A HOLLOW CYLINDER WHOSE AXIS OF GENERATION PASSES THROUGH SAID BASE MEMBER, EACH OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS HAVING (I) A THREAD ENGAGING MEANS ON THE INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE THEREOF ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH AND RECEIVE A MATING MALE CONTACT MEMBER, (II) AT LEAST ONE OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGE INTEGRALLY ATTACHED TO A FREE MARGINAL EDGE THEREOF EXENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID BASE AND ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH AND BE RECEIVED INTO A GROOVE IN SAID LAMP SOCKET TO PREVENT RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID CONTACT AND SAID SOCKET, (III) A LANCE INTEGRALLY ATTACHED TO THE INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID SIDE MEMBER, SAID LANCE HAVING A POINT DIRECTED TOWARDS THE SAID BASE, AND (VI) AN OUTWARD PROJECTING LIP ON THE FREE MARGINAL END OF THE SIDE MEMBER REMOTE FROM SAID BASE, EACH OF SAID LIPS COOPERATING WITH AN ASSOCIATED DETENT MEANS ON SAID SOCKET, THE SAID LANCE AND THE SAID LIP EACH BEING ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH THE SAID SOCKET TO RETAIN THE SAID CONTACT WITHIN SAID SOCKET AFTER ASSEMBLY. 